Bottoms Up

Foggy Bottom Kitchen’s down-home cuisine is giving Oklahomans yet another reason to get out and enjoy their state parks.

- BRANDON KING

FOOD IS NOT only meant to be tasted but experienced—a belief the people behind Swadley’s World Famous Bar-B-Q and the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department share.

Since the first location opened in Bethany in 1998, Swadley’s has become synonymous with Oklahoma hospitality and down-home comfort cooking. By fusing barbecuing techniques developed by “Mama Lola”—owner and founder Brent Swadley’s grandmother—eighty years ago with time-perfected recipes, that familiar red barn has spread across the Sooner State.

That, along with Swadley’s reputation for good customer service, is why OTRD decided to partner with the barbecue purveyors in January 2020 to transform a handful of state park eating areas into destination dining experiences all their own under the banner of Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Kitchen. The new nom de cuisine was chosen to evoke the rejuvenating spirit of nature, the comfort of home, and a sense of adventure.